Work Together
by Em Pataki
Summary: Wolfgang's threat to steal the vacant lot destroys the confidence Arnold's class has in sticking together.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: We Have A Visitor

It was the middle of seventh grade and Arnold's class was having baseball practice at Gerald field one Monday afternoon. The pre-teens were busy tossing the ball around when they heard a voice from behind.

"Well, well, if it isn't the wussy seventh graders!"

Arnold turned from his position at shortstop to see Wolfgang and Edmund ready to give them a hard time.

"What is it Wolfgang?" the blonde boy sighed.

"I think it's our turn to use the lot." the evil eighth grader insisted with a vicious smile on his his.

A glare formed on Gerald's face after hearing the older boys' reason for showing up. The tranquil boy then marched over and replied "Wait a minute! This lot was full of garbage when we found it. Then we cleaned it up and turned it into Gerald field."

"Haha right! How about this. You beat us in baseball Saturday, we'll never bug you about it again?" Wolfgang glared, feeling he had nothing to worry about.

"What if we lose?" Sid wondered, imagining the worst that could happen.

"If you lose, WE get to use the lot whenever we feel like it."

A concerned look formed on Arnold's face. As great as it would be never having to worry about them again, they had lost a few games to them before.

While the blonde boy stood considering this, an angry girl approached from behind and scowled "Just get ready to get your butts kicked!"

Wolfgang grinned at Helga's threat and replied "Haha right. See you Saturday losers."

After seeing the malicious eighth grader leave the field with his slow sidekick, Phoebe approached her friend and said "Based on the substantial number of after school activities we've used this space for, I can't help but feel we were too quick to agree to his steep terms."

Helga turned to cock her brow at her friend's hesitant reaction. As she stood with her hands on her hips, waiting for some support, she listened to another member add "Yeah. What are we going to do if we lose?" Sid asked worriedly.

The pigtailed girl rolled her eyes at her concerned classmates and scowled "Criminy! What's the point of using this stinking space for sports if you're not willing to put whatever skills you morons do possess to good use?"

Starting to see her point, Arnold butted in with his supportive attitude and replied "It's not hopeless you guys. We've beaten them before. All we have to do is stick together, and support one another."

Having a hard time believing that was enough to motivate the team, Helga began marching away and leered "Whatever. See you in the funny pages."

 _Walk_

Following his vicious friend down the street, the slow boy asked "But Wolfgang, how do you know for sure we'll beat them?"

"We're older than they are you idiot!"

"They've beaten us before though?" Edmund reminded his tough friend, finding it just as risky as the seventh graders did.

"That's because they stick together and take advice from the football headed freak they think of as their leader. I've got a way to fix that though."

"You're a genius Wolfgang!"

"Duh!"

 _The Boarding House_

Arnold and Gerald were approaching the boarding house when the blonde boy listened to his friend say "Man Arnold. This is not looking good."

Arnold turned to his pessimistic friend and replied "There's nothing to worry about Gerald. All we have to do is stick together."

Lifting an eyebrow at his friend, the unimpressed boy sighed "Uh huh. That's all we ever have to do, and it's still not guaranteed to work."

Arnold shook his head at his friend's discouraging attitude. Normally Gerald could be counted on for support in times such as these. The idea of losing an area that was used for all their games (and that they put such a great amount of effort into fixing) was beginning to discourage him, as well as most of the class.

"Well, we've still got a week to practice. Who knows. Maybe they'll forget about it?"

Gerald glared with his hands on his hips at his friend's attempt to remain optimistic. "Whatever you say Arnold."

 _Walk_

Helga was marching towards her house, frustrated with the discouraging act her friends had put on for the eighth graders. As she was marching around the corner, the vexed pre-teen bumped into someone...THUMP!

Rather than falling to the ground, Helga shook her head and scowled "Watch where you're going freakazoid!"

Not feeling threatened by her insult, Wolfgang crossed his arms and smiled "Where are you off to in such a hurry? To find people who actually care about helping you? Haha!"

Helga began to grit her teeth at the insult, knowing Wolfgang was using her friend's nervousness to his advantage.

"Oh put a sock in it!" she snapped, attempting to march past him.

As he began to watch her storm away, the evil eighth grader added "I'm surprised your little friend didn't stick up for you."

Helga turned to cock her brow, assuming he was talking about Arnold. Placing her hands on her hips, she scoffed "Pttss...yeah well that's football head for you. Always having to do the right thing."

"I'm not talking about football face. I'm talking about that four eyed nerd you're friends with."

Helga dropped her arms at her sides as her eyes widened. She hadn't considered Phoebe's reaction towards their friendship anymore than she had the game.

After shaking her head, a scowl returned to her face as she snapped "What's that supposed to mean?!"

The smile began to grow on Wolfgang's face, seeing his plan to mess with their minds was already having an effect.

"I would think a close friend like that would be more supportive."

Before Helga could give her opinion, Edmund began hovering over his friend's shoulder and laughed "Haha yeah. I bet they don't even care about each other."

"Shut up you idiot!"

Helga rolled her eyes after seeing her friendship was being questioned by someone who showed no appreciation for someone he considered to be his best friend.

The girl then walked away, trying to forget everything that had happened that afternoon.

 _Phoebe's House_

The small girl entered her home to see her parents sitting at the dining room table. As she began to head for her room, her father stopped her and asked "Phoebe dearest, how was your day?"

Not feeling the need to bring up the conflict with Wolfgang, the intelligent girl replied "Quite well father. I'm going to get started on my homework."

Before watching her daughter leave the room, Reba asked "Where's Helga hunny? Don't you two normally spend time together after school?"

A nervous look formed on the Asian girl's face, not wanting to discuss the dilemma that had occurred. It wasn't unusual for Helga to over-react about minor situations. Why mention anything to her parents that could make their friendship look as though it was in trouble?

"I'm afraid she left practice early." the sweet girl replied, content with her honest, yet nondescriptive answer.

 _Helga's House_

The agitated girl walked inside, not expecting to see anything unusual. Miriam would be past out in the kitchen, Bob would be waiting for his new cell phone commercial to appear on the TV, and Olga may or may not be out shopping.

After relinquishing a heavy sigh, Helga opened the door to see her predictions were inaccurate. Rather than seeing someone in the kitchen, she heard the phone ringing.

The blonde girl sighed as she dropped her bag by the counter and went to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hello baby sister!"

Helga rolled her eyes at the anxious greeting and scoffed "What is it?"

"I have a friend coming over for dinner tonight! Mom and I will be home with the groceries soon. Daddy might still be at work."

Helga sighed at the idea of having to not only deal with Olga, but one of her friends as well. It was annoying enough listening to her parents give all their positive attention to Olga she didn't have anyone with her to share exciting stories with.

 _The Boarding House_

Arnold went upstairs to put his baseball gear away. He took a seat on the bed, thinking about everyone's reaction to Wolfgang's challenge. The idea of losing the lot had destroyed practically everyone's confidence.

The troubled boy laid on his bed with his arms folded behind his head, staring at the clouds floating above when he heard a knock at the door.

KNOCK KNOCK!

"Come in."

The boy then turned to see his grandfather carrying in a sweet after school snack for him to enjoy. "Hey there shortman! I brought you some prune juice and a herring sandwich."

After seeing the disgruntled look on his grandson's face, Phil chuckled at his joke and said "Just kidding. It's milk and cookies."

Arnold sat up to take the snack as he watched Phil take a seat beside him. "Thanks grandpa."

The elderly man took notice of the depressed look his grandson was carrying and asked "Hey, what's eatin' ya shortman?"

Arnold picked up a cookie he was preparing to eat and began to explain "Well, we've got a baseball game coming up this weekend."

"Hmm...doesn't surprise me. Seeing as how you're always practicing after school." Phil replied, not knowing what the problem was.

"Well, Wolfgang challenged us to take away Gerald Field."

"What the heck is that?" Phil asked, scratching his head.

"You know, the old vacant lot you and the rest of the adults helped turned into a baseball field." Arnold said, as he watched his grandfather think back to the day.

Phil's eyes then lit in surprise at the memory as he laughed "Oh yeah! Ho boy your grandma spent the night ordering us around like she was the captain of our cleaning team."

Still holding his untouched cookie in his hand, Arnold sighed at the floor and said "Yeah, well now the eighth graders are threatening to take it from us."

"I told Pookie to put a security gate around that thing!" Phil exclaimed.

After seeing his grandson continuing to mope at the floor, the elderly man placed a hand on his shoulder and said "Don't worry shortman. That class of yours may have some crazy people, but they tend to know a thing or two about teamwork."

 _Helga's House_

The pigtailed girl was upstairs working on her math assignment when she heard the door opening downstairs. Right away, Helga could hear her giddy sister's perky voice entering the kitchen.

The somber girl had no intention of seeing what the commotion was about until she heard "Baby sister! Could you come here please?"

Helga smacked her face in frustration and scowled "Criminy!"

Moments later, she walked downstairs to see her sister unloading the groceries she was using to prepare dinner that night.

"What the heck's going on?" Helga insisted on knowing, after being interrupted from her work.

"We have a special guest coming over tonight baby sister!"

Helga cocked her brow at the news and asked "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I ran into an old college friend when I was out shopping. He's coming over for dinner tonight."

Helga rolled her eyes, knowing no night spent with Olga would ever be bearable.

 _Later That Evening_

"Where the heck is the new cell phone commercial?!" Bob scowled, flipping through the tv channels.

As his oldest daughter was in the kitchen, finishing up the food she was preparing for dinner, the family heard a knock at the door.

Helga was sitting in the living room chair reading a wrestling magazine, with her legs hanging over the chair.

After hearing the knock, Bob turned to Helga and scoffed "Get the door, would ya Olga."

Rolling her eyes at his carelessness to learn her name, Helga stood from the chair and smirked "It's HELGA dad!"

"Right. Helga, that's what I said." Bob shook his head, not taking his eyes off the tv.

The pigtailed girl then went to answer the door. As she stood there with a hand on her hip and an unamused look on her face, she listened to the guest say "Hello. My name is Jordan. I'm here to see Olga."

Helga rolled her eyes at his eager expression and scoffed "Well whoop-di-doo for you."

Ignoring the rude remark, Jordan walked past the irritated girl to find his friend in the kitchen. "Hello Olga. How are you doing?"

Olga quickly turned around with the food she had prepared and screeched "Oh goody! You're here!"

Jordan followed the talented girl to the table, where she had a spot prepared for everyone that night. "Dinner's ready!" Olga called out.

"Finally!" Bob shouted in excitement. His successful older child was the one thing he was willing to pay more attention to than his business.

The group took a seat at the table, while Olga introduced Jordan to her family. "Everyone, this is a friend of mine from college. We ran into each other at The Corner Store today."

"What did you major in?" Bob asked, wondering if he knew a thing or two about sales.

"I was an English major. I'm currently working for the newspaper." Jordan explained.

While Olga smiled at his news, Bob became intrigued. "Paper huh? What kind of news do you people deliver?"

Helga set her head in her hand, picking at her plate. Anything anyone Olga brought home was guaranteed to be as impressive as they were successful.

"My section is currently looking for a business to advertise."

Bob's eyes lit with excitement as he said "Come by the Emporium! We'll get started on a new commercial for the store!"

A hesitant look formed on the college graduate's face as he replied "I don't work for the tv station. I'm just a publisher."

A frown appeared on the businessman as he insisted "We'll find a way to get the business noticed. Just stop by the store tomorrow!"

Helga was preparing to leave the table when she heard "What's wrong baby sister?"

The annoyed teen turned with her hands on her hips to face her sibling and scoffed "I've suddenly lost my appetite."

After watching her head upstairs, Jordan turned to Olga and asked "Do you and your sister not get along well?"

A perplexed look appeared on the college graduate as she replied "I love my baby sister. I hope nothing's bothering her."

Jordan smiled at the sweet attitude his friend possessed and replied "I have a younger brother. He and I don't always get along."

Olga frowned at the news, not liking the idea of ever having a problem with Helga. Although it was nice to know she wasn't the only one with sibling conflictions.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Back Out While You Still Can

The next morning Bob was showing Jordan his cell phone store. The college graduate took notice of the business man's eagerness to get his store noticed, and was beginning to feel pressured.

"So over here we got something called iphones? Don't ask me who decided to replace beepers with those things. Then over here…"

Bob looked to see his daughter's friend looking around, quickly taking notes on the information he was giving him. As nervous as Jordan was about not doing anything to humiliate the store, Bob was more concerned about how quickly they could make it succeed.

"Over here are just your standard flip phones. One day they'll make an iphone the same price as that piece of junk. Yeesh, there's something I never thought I'd hear myself say." After pointing out a few things in the store, the salesman eagerly turned to his new, unhired associate and asked "You getting all this?"

The anxious graduate quickly looked up from his notepad to see the impatient look on the salesman's man. "Huh? Oh yeah, should be great."

 _P.S.118_

Helga was grabbing her needed books from her locker, not thinking about what Wolfgang had said to her the previous day. After grabbing her needed items, she turned to her friend and said "See ya in class Pheebs."

"Certainly Helga." the intelligent girl replied.

Lurking from behind a nearby corner was Wolfgang and his slow sidekick. Wolfgang listened to the discouraged sigh that relinquished from Phoebe, knowing it must have something to do with the way things ended on the field the previous day.

The trouble making eighth grader turned to his friend and proudly said "Show time!"

As Phoebe was heading for class, she saw two shadows appearing on the floor. The small girl turned around, tightly holding her books to her chest.

"Oh dear!" she gasped, after taking notice of the evil boys standing before her.

Wolfgang stood there proudly with his hands on his hips and laughed "Hey there dork. Where's your gang?"

Hoping to avoid any trouble, Phoebe hesitantly replied "I'm sure they're awaiting in class for the first lecture to begin."

Just as the small girl was beginning to continue heading for her room, she listened to the cruel eighth grader say "I'm surprised you're not afraid to face your friend."

The small Asian girl then turned back to face Wolfgang with a perplexed look as she continued to listen.

"After the way she stormed off the field, I can't imagine how angry she is at you losers for not supporting her."

Edmund began to laugh at his friend's plan to manipulate Phoebe and added "Yeah. I bet she's too chicken to go to class."

Wolfgang then rolled his eyes at his sorry friend's constant attempt to make himself look good. He shoved Edmund aside and sighed "Shut up."

 _Classroom_

While most of the class was silent, wondering what type of mess they had gotten themselves into, Arnold was looking forward to practice that afternoon.

He turned to face his best friend who seemed to have something on his mind (the opposite of how things usually were) and asked "So, you ready for practice this afternoon Gerald?"

Gerald looked up from his paper to view his friends around the room. Dead silence was occurring, implying there was only one thing on their minds.

The tranquil boy then turned back to face his friend and sighed "Yeah man, should be great."

The remaining student then entered the room to take a seat beside _her_ best friend. Helga looked up from the drawings she was busy making in her notebook to watch Phoebe take a seat beside her.

"Ready to kick some butt at practice this afternoon Pheebs?!"

The quiet girl looked hesitantly from her friend to her desk. If what Wolfgang said was accurate, not being supportive of Helga's desire to practice could have an affect on their friendship.

The small girl let out a solemn sigh and replied "I'm looking forward to it Helga."

The students then looked up to see their perky teacher entering the room with a stack of papers. "Good morning class. Today's going to be a very special day! Do you know why?"

"We get to eat in class? Alright!" Harold jumped excitedly in his seat, raising his arms in the air.

"Well no, not exactly Harold."

"Oh I know! We get to start the exciting lesson on fractions! Oh how wonderful!" Eugene raised his hand in excitement.

"Almost Eugene. We're having our test on decimals." Mr. Simmons said, as he began to hand out the test.

The students moaned at the answer. A test on top of practice against their biggest rival. It was not starting off to be a good week.

By the end of the period, all but a couple people were expecting to do poorly when they handed in their tests. The baseball game at the end of the week seemed to be more important to do well on than anything that could be handed to them in class. Yet, they weren't looking forward to practice either.

 _Cafeteria_

By the time morning classes ended, Arnold was ready to get to the lunch line. If he was lucky, there would still be a tapioca remaining.

While the boys were approaching the lunch line, Wolfgang and Edmund were entering the cafeteria. The evil students were searching the room for their next victims when a table caught their eye.

"Let's go!" Wolfgang motioned for Edmund to follow him.

 _Table_

"How do ya reckon ya did on the test fellas?" Stinky asked the other boys.

Harold began unwrapping his sandwich as he moaned "Oohhh okay I guess."

"Yeah. It was kind of hard to concentrate when we've still got practice to think about." Sid agreed, not too confident he did well.

"I reckon we…" Stinky was preparing to concur before noticing their rivals approaching the table.

"Well, well. If it isn't the wussy seventh graders."

"AHHH!" Sid screamed, as he grabbed hold of his hat.

"You folks ready for a beating?" Wolfgang grinned, as he hovered over Sid.

The small boy sunk lower in his chair, grabbing hold of his hat as he begged "Please! Don't hurt me!"

Wolfgang grabbed hold of his chest and began to laugh as he said "Haha if you should worry about anyone hurting you, it's football face!"

Sid slowly sat up in his chair, hesitant about what he was hearing. "Huh?"

Stinky lifted an eyebrow at the accusation and asked "I don't reckon Arnold would do anything to hurt us. On account of he's the one always solving our problems."

Wolfgang continued to grin as he countered "Oh really? Then let me ask you this. Why did he volunteer you to play us this weekend?"

Stinky began to scratch his head and replied "I'm confused. I thought that was Helga?"

"Yeah! It's her fault we're in this mess!" Harold exclaimed, no longer caring about his lunch.

Wolfgang chuckled at their confusion and added "But football face didn't do anything to stop it. He just assumed you'd be willing to play."

The boys then looked at each other as Wolfgang and Edmund left the table, content with their work.

 _Lunch Line_

"I don't know about this man. If we lose, it's back to playing in the street for us." Gerald pointed out to his optimistic friend.

As Arnold grabbed the last of the tapioca, he replied "We don't have a choice Gerald. If we back out, they're just going to keep bugging us about it."

"Whatever you say Arnold."

 _Table_

"Alright Pheebs, you'll take left field. With us practicing in our usual positions, these whimpy classmates of ours shouldn't have a problem beating those moronic eighth graders."

Arnold and Gerald approached the table to see Helga announcing her plans for practice, while Phoebe sat quietly sipping her milk.

Gerald took a seat beside his girlfriend as Arnold pushed his lunch over towards Helga and asked "What's going on?"

"Just showing Pheebs plan for practice this afternoon. If those idiot classmates of ours follow instructions, we won't have a problem winning Saturday." Helga said confidently.

Arnold picked up his girlfriend's plan as Gerald leaned over to take a look at it himself. The once placid boy shook his head at the game plan and sighed "Mm, mm, mmm! Talk about determination."

Snatching the paper back, Helga pointed a finger and scoffed "You said a mouthful there pal, and I'm not about to let these loser classmates of ours blow it for us, right Pheebs?"

The quiet girl set her drink aside as she looked over at her impatient friend and cautiously replied "Huh? Oh yes, of course."

 _Classroom_

Lunch ended and the students were back in their seats, waiting for the afternoon classes to start. Arnold was sitting in the front desk when he saw the remaining students enter the room. "Hey Sid, how's it going?"

The skinny boy shook as he slightly turned to face what he now thought of as his dangerous classmate. "Huh? Oh fine, just fine Arnold."

The blonde boy then watched his friend race off to his desk, and said to Gerald "What do you think's wrong with Sid?"

The easy going boy lifted an eyebrow at his friend's question and asked "How much time you got?"

The boys then turned to face forward in their desks as they watched their teacher enter the room, ready to start their Nutrition lecture.

Not caring to take an interest in it, Helga sat writing plans and positions for everyone that afternoon in her notebook. She rested her head in her hand as she angrily thought to herself…

 _Stupid class, can't handle a stupid game of baseball against those stupid eighth graders. The only one up for it is ARNOLD…._

 _Pttss...Arnold! Mr. Goody Two Shoes, Mr. Sensitive, Mr. Always Has To Look On The Bright Side. How it annoys me. And yet…_

 _I love it! Oh my darling, at last you're mine! Finally, your kind and sensitive ways have seen past my harsh and brutal exterior! Only you know the truth my love! Only you can ignore the harsh remarks that slip my tongue each day, knowing what lies beneath them is a kind, sensitive soul._

The emotional girl's scowl turned to a set of dreamy eyes as she pushed aside the notebook to rest her head in both her hands and gaze sweetly at her beloved. Phoebe listened to the sweet swoon that escaped her friend. Although she as well knew the tender traits Helga possessed, she also knew how much winning an even such as this meant to her.

To be beaten by something as simple as a baseball game would make her feel as vulnerable as it made her look unsuccessful.

Once the last few hours of class ended, Arnold turned in his seat and asked "You guys ready for practice."

Rhonda was headed for the door when hearing this. Before leaving, she turned towards her classmate and said "We better win this weekend. I'm giving up shopping for the new items in this months Pre-Teen Miss magazine to make sure we don't lose the field."

As the students stood from the seats, Gerald glared at the warning and said "Oh yeah. Wouldn't want to let _her_ down."

 _Helga's House_

The pigtailed girl entered her home to switch out her school books for her baseball gear. Upon entering the front door, she noticed Jordan sitting with Olga at the dining room table, discussing his journal entry with Bob about the cell phones.

"I'm so excited for you daddy!" the perky girl screeched.

Jordan tapped his pencil against the table as he listened to Bob say "Right. So what kind of information are we looking at here? I don't want anything that'll scare off the customers!"

A perplexed look formed on the college graduates face until he at last replied "Well, from what you've described to me, we could list a few types of phones and their features your store sells. Preferably the most popular ones to grab their attention, and the least popular to have them consider one, rather than ignoring them when they walk into the store."

"Hmm...different types huh? What kind of weirdos do we have to worry about this attracting?" Bob wondered, imagining the worst that could happen.

After considering this a moment, the group noticed Helga walking back downstairs with her baseball bat and glove.

"Hello baby sister! Would you like to work on daddy's new ad with us?" Olga asked eagerly.

Helga rolled her eyes as she was approaching the door and replied "Gee sounds great Olga. But I've got to get to practice...and away from you."

Although they hadn't heard the last of what Helga said, Jordan noticed the sad expression forming on Olga's face and said "I know how you feel. My brother doesn't enjoy spending time with me either. He's really not very nice."

 _Gerald Field_

While all but one person had arrived, Rhonda stood on the field brushing her hair and sneered "Can we _please_ get started? I didn't sacrifice my shopping hours to stand and stare at you people all afternoon."

"We're just waiting for Helga. She's got our plans." Arnold pointed out.

Harold clenched his fist at the thought of considering to wait for the girl who he felt started the mess. "What are we following her stupid ideas for? This is all her fault anyway! I say we…"

The husky boy was then cut off from his whining as the group heard "Ahh suck it up ya big baby!"

Everyone turned to see Helga marching onto the field with her gear and notepad, ready to give orders.

"Alright listen up people. Pheebs, you're taking left field again. Geraldo, first. Stinko, hot corner…"

"Hot corner? What in the heck is that?" the country boy asked.

Helga smacked her face at his ignorance, having explained this to him at practically every practice.

Normally Phoebe would eagerly step in to explain things. Wolfgang's information that morning had filled her mind with uncertainty. No matter how much she disagreed with Helga's ideas over the years, she was always there to support her. The malicious eighth grader that morning, made it seem as though Helga now felt the complete opposite about her friend.

As the quiet girl stood staring at the ground, Gerald stepped in to say "You're on third Stinky. Try not to get hit."

Helga then continued on with her instructions as the pointed to the nervous boy in the cowboy boots and said "Sid, you take right field."

Rather than worrying about how dangerous the position was, he was more concerned about how close Arnold would be standing to him. Wolfgang said Arnold didn't care about what happened to them. Did that mean he was willing to go to extreme lengths to win...even if it meant seeing someone get hurt?

After not hearing the usual scaredy cat complain about his position, Helga pointed to Lila and said "You're center field!"

Lila (as well as a few other classmates) had yet to find a reason to fear the ball game. Aside from losing the privilege of calling the field their own, they hadn't been given a reason to believe their friends were actually out to get them.

"I'm ever so certain I just adore center field Helga!"

The only good thing Helga found to be about Lila was never having to worry about a complaint. While her perfect attitude was unfathomably annoying, in came in handy when she needed a crew to give orders to.

"Princess, you're on second. Pink boy, you take catcher."

Harold crossed his arms at the order, beginning to feel as though losing the field wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if it meant not putting up with her anymore "Okay...Madam fortress mommy!"

"Alright Arnold. Looks like you're shortstop shortman."

Sid's eyes widened at the sound of this, feeling Arnold was going to be too close to the field. The nervous boy began to shake as he thought to himself…

 _Oh no! What if he catches the ball...then turns around and throws it at me! Or, what if he 'pretends' to slide across the field after catching it, and rolls right into me! Ahhh!_

"Uhh Sid? Are you ready to start?"

The paranoid boy then shook his head to see Arnold waving a hand in front of his face. "Huh? What?"

"We're starting freakazoid now get your scrawny butt to right field!" Helga yelled from the pitcher's mound.

Sid took one last nervous glance at Arnold before moving in that direction. Helga turned to face the batter as she rolled her eyes and scoffed "Pttss...freak!"

Eugene then stepped up to the plate, preparing to swing at the first pitch. Surprisingly, the boy hit the ball on his first swing. He began racing towards first base while the ball headed in the direction of right field.

As opposed to paying attention to the game, Sid was giving his full attention to the people in it. The boy in the cowboy boots stood in the field, eyeing how close Arnold may think about stepping back towards him. He watched the blonde boy turned to face him and listened to him say "Hey Sid, heads up!"

While Eugene was overwhelmed by the fact he had made it to first safely, the group was on its way over to see Sid laying unconscious on the field.

Sid at last began flickering his eyes and opened them to see an evil face appearing before him. "Ahh!"

"Well, well. You dorks practicing for the game Saturday? You're just wasting your time!" Wolfgang laughed.

Helga marched over to point a finger at the stuck up boy and scowled "We'll show you who's wasting their time! I've got plenty of protein shakes left over!"

"Not those things again." Gerald sighed, knowing they didn't help anyone last time.

"Haha you pathetic saps are wasting your time! The lot is ours!" Wolfgang laughed, exiting the field.

Edmund laughed at his friend's fierce attitude and said "We sure showed them, huh Wolfgang?"

"Would you shut up already?"

After a few hours of practice, Rhonda complained "Can we please stop this? I need to go home and shower."

While Helga rolled her eyes at the complaint, Arnold took notice of the sun going down and said "Alright. We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow."

The class began walking in separate directions, happy to have that disaster behind them. Arnold looked to see Helga grabbing her gear and asked "Mind if I walk with you?"

The pigtailed girl let out a heavy swoon as she held her supplies close to her heart. After snapping out of her daze, she shook her head and smirked "Whatever floats your boat football head."

The two walked down the street together, wondering how the game would go on Saturday. Arnold noticed the quietness taking place between them and said "Things should go well Saturday."

Helga rolled her eyes at his optimism and smirked "Pttss...yeah. If Klutzilla can make it to first safely again, and Mr. Paranoid can keep his eyes on the game, we should have a fair shot."

Arnold began to rub his girlfriend's hand. Although she didn't appear to be optimistic, an admirable quality she possessed was her determination.

"Well, as long as we work together, everything should be fine."

Helga felt he was a bit dense for having such a great amount of faith in such a simple plan. Looking into his emerald eyes as she felt the sweet touch of his hand made it overwhelmingly hard to disagree with him about anything however.

"Uhh I guess so."

The two at last made it to her porch. Arnold stood before his girlfriend, not quite ready to say goodbye. While he understand the nervousness the class was facing, Helga was one person he never had to worry about having second thoughts in a tough situation.

"Thanks for coming."

Helga felt her beloved reach up to kiss her on the cheek. The sensitive girl placed a hand on her face, feeling her mind had been put at peace.

A moment later, she shook her head and scoffed "Yeah well, everyone better bring their A game tomorrow."

"Whatever you say Helga."

 _Jordan's House_

After a day spent helping Bob think of a new ad for his business, Jordan began making his way home. He entered the front door to hear chuckling coming from the living room. Once he set his things down on the dining room table, he entered the living room to see his brother in front of the TV.

"How's it going little brother?"

"Shut up! We're watching TV." the rude teen waved off his brother.

The visitor then laughed at the remark and said "Haha yeah. You sure told him Wolfgang!"

"Shut up Edmund!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: What Do You Suppose He Meant?

The next morning Jordan was headed for the Patakis to work with Bob while Wolfgang was on his way to school. Nothing unusual was planned. At least, not that unusual…

Jordan saw his younger brother approaching the door when he said "Hold up a minute!"

Wolfgang angrily turned at the command and snapped "What?!"

Not finding anything strange about his attitude, Jordan confronted him to say "Mom and dad will be home late tonight. They need us to pick up something for dinner. Meet me at this address."

Wolfgang shoved the paper in his pocket, not caring to humor his brother by reading it. The annoyed teen then began facing the door and replied "Whatever. I'm out of here."

 _P.S.118_

While half the class was already becoming affected by Wolfgang's manipulating words, Arnold was keeping his head up about the way the game would turn out Saturday.

"You ready for practice this afternoon?" the blonde boy said to his friend, walking down the hall with him.

Gerald turned to glare at his friend for thinking they had a shot at winning. Yes Arnold's optimism was admirable, but there was such a thing as facing the facts. "If you mean ready to lose, then yes."

Arnold watched Gerald stare hopelessly at the floor, knowing how close they were to losing the lot they had put so much effort into saving. He patted his friend on the back and said "Don't worry Gerald, we've still…"

"Well, well, well…"

The boys turned to see their rival grinning at the vexed girl in their class. Helga stepped forward, not fearing the idea of nearing the eighth grader's face and scowled "Out of my way freak!"

After watching the angry girl shove her way past him, Wolfgang stood proudly and said "You should save that attitude for the game Saturday. You'll need all the luck you can get."

Helga began clenching her fists as she watched the taunting teen walk away from her. Close behind her stood the boys in her class, as Gerald finished for Arnold "We've still got Helga."

 _Classroom_

"I still can't believe I made it to first safely you guys! What a great day!" Eugene exclaimed, thinking back to practice.

"You were just ever so impressive Eugene." Lila smiled, happy for her classmate.

As the group thought about their upcoming game, the remainder of the students entered the room. Helga took a seat beside her friend who had already made it to class.

Ever since Wolfgang's manipulating words were released, Phoebe wasn't sure of how to confront Helga. Although her friend didn't seem bothered by the idea of having her around, one wrong decision about the game could lead to disaster.

"Hey Pheebs, how's it going?" the pigtailed girl asked, as she casually took her seat.

Phoebe cautiously looked towards her friend, wondering what the best response would be. All that had been on anyone's mind recently was the game. What good had she brought to it? "Oh umm fine Helga. How are you?"

Rolling her eyes at the thought of how the week had been, Helga smirked "Pttss...between the nerve of those eighth graders threatening us, and the lack of guts this team is showing, I'd say I've had better weeks."

Although this brought a bit of guilt to the intelligent girl, it was nice not being singled out for any lack of effort she may be showing towards the team.

While these thoughts were going through her mind, there were others in the class, imagining the worst that may happen. Sid sat in his seat, waiting to be physically attacked by who was said to be the class problem solver.

When Arnold at last entered the room, ready to take his seat, the cautious boy ducked for cover. "AHHH!"

After hearing the disrupting noise, Arnold looked to see Sid hiding beneath his desk. Being the caring boy the class knew him as, he went to see what the problem was. "Is everything alright Sid?"

The paranoid student slowly stuck his head up from the desk and said "Oh fine, just fine."

Arnold shrugged his shoulders,not knowing what the problem could be. Just like at practice the previous day, Sid was acting as though something was on his mind that he wasn't willing to share with anyone.

Once everyone had taken their seats, Stinky leaned over towards Harold and whispered "Ya reckon Arnold's planning something to hurt us?"

The husky boy shrugged his shoulders as he watched Helga stand from her seat. She was going to take advantage of any spare moment she had to prepare for practice before Simmons walked in.

"Alright people listen up! Those eighth graders mean business, and we're not going to let them get away with it! No repeats of yesterday. Which means dork, keep your eye on the ball, not the person trying to catch it!"

Sid watched Helga point an angry finger at him, feeling as though Arnold may not be the only person to fear.

While the small boy was fearing for his life, Harold was leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed, still feeling this was more Helga's fault than Arnold's.

Before anymore demands could be made, Mr. Simmons entered the room.

"Good morning class. It's another special day!"

Helga plopped down in her seat with her notebook, tapping her fingers against her plans, already waiting for the day to be over.

While anxiety and annoyance had filled her mind, Arnold began looking around the room. Half the class seemed a bit perturbed. Although it wasn't unusual to ignore Mr. Simmons' lecture, he could sense something was on their minds.

Helga sighed at the fact the day was just beginning. She continued to lean her head in her hand until she glanced up to see a note being passed back to her. Her eyes widened at the idea of being caught. While everyone knew they were dating, she didn't like to think of herself as the mushy type who performed cute love tactics throughout the day.

The anxious girl quickly snatched the note from her beloved when she felt the moment was safe. She then opened it to read…

 _Have you noticed anything strange lately?_

Helga cocked her brow at the note. She thought the class was strange to begin with; a complete bunch of idiots.

 _What's that supposed to mean?_

Arnold wasn't sure of how to explain it without Helga not finding it to be out of the ordinary. They had two different opinions of strange.

 _Sid won't talk to me, and Phoebe seems afraid of you._

Helga slightly turned to face her friend, not having considered this. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to her.

Rather than passing the note back, Helga sat back in her seat, trying to think of a sign this may be true…

 _She ate lunch with me, she sits next to me, she went to practice with me, she still talks to me for crying out loud! What the heck is he talking about?_

Arnold sat in his seat, wondering if he should have said anything. Helga wasn't one to overthink things as he was. After a few hours of pondering this, the bell for lunch came.

 _Cafeteria_

Some of the students were waiting in the lunch line, while others were sitting at a table with ready made lunches.

A wide smile was stretched across Eugene's face, feeling optimistic about their next practice. "I can't wait for this afternoon you guys! I could get another hit! Then make it to another base safely! Oh I can't wait!"

The joyful boy sat fantasizing about the good luck he may be destined to have until he heard someone behind him.

"Well, well, if it isn't the clumsy seventh grader!"

Rather than trembling with fear, Eugene turned in his seat with a smile and said "Oh hello Wolfgang. Ready for the game Saturday? Because I can't wait!"

The vicious teen glared at the redhead's inability to find his behavior threatening and scowled "We'll see how excited you are when you get smacked with a pitch!"

Edmund laughed as he hung over his hostile friend's shoulder and said "Haha! Yeah! I bet he can't even hit the ball Wolfgang."

Annoyed by his friend's active listening, the evil eighth grader turned to shove him and said  
"Would you get out of here already!"

"You're probably right, but that won't stop me from showing up! Everyone, clap your hands with me and sing! Every seed turns into a flower! Every minute turns to an hours! Sooo... never let go of hope. It's a life saving WHOA…."

Wolfgang's eyes lit as he watched the clumsy student go from excitedly singing his song to slipping on a candy wrapper. After seeing Eugene slide across the floor, he laughed hysterically and shouted "Haha! Yeah, feel free to show up dork."

Arnold and Gerald were standing in the lunch line when they saw their uncoordinated classmate slide into a lunch cart. "OW! I'm okay!"

Sheena raced over to help her friend. As she sat beside him on the floor, Sheena was beginning to feel as though Wolfgang was right about them wasting their time. Whether it was Helga's fault for challenging Wolfgang or Arnold's fault for not defending them, showing up wasn't looking like the best idea.

Arnold turned to see the hopeless look on Gerald's face, knowing what he must be thinking. "Like you said Gerald, we've still got Helga."

The tranquil boy then turned to face his friend while pointing a finger at the class klutz and sighed "Yeah, but we've also got _him_."

 _Table_

Rather than using the extra time to review the practice plans, Helga was sitting quietly at the table with her friend. There she watched Phoebe quietly munch on her sandwich. Should she ask her if there was something on her mind, or offer to excuse her from practice?

Before making up her mind, the girls noticed the boys approaching the table. "Hey guys."

"Huh? Oh hey Arnold." Helga replied, starting to feel he may have been right about their friends.

Arnold pushed his tray towards his girlfriend, still having faith they could beat the eighth graders on Saturday.

As he looked around the table, he saw all his friends now possessed troubled looks (but for different reasons).

Gerald knew there was no chance of winning the game. Phoebe was waiting for the moment she let Helga down. Helga was now drawn a blank. What could she have done to make Phoebe fear her? Only one way to find out..

"So Pheebs. Wanna come over after practice?"

Phoebe found this to be a bit peculiar. Normally she was the one inviting Helga over. If Helga was going to get to the bottom of this however, she wasn't going to wait around for an invitation.

The now quiet girl set her lunch aside and replied "Oh why certainly Helga."

 _The Patakis_

Miriam was in the kitchen making herself a smoothie while Bob and Olga were discussing the ad for Bob's business.

After pouring herself a shake, the tired lady leaned against the counter and began listening in on the new plans for her husband's store.

"So how much is this gonna cost me? I'm not sticking this ad out there just to reel in a bunch of people who expect to get their merchandise for half price." Bob warned his new associate.

Not planning to stick around after publishing one ad, Jordan replied "I assure you Mr. Pataki, we'll say only the most positive things about your merchandise to attract the highest paying customers."

 _P.S.118_

The day was on the verge of ending, and Helga was growing anxious, but for a new reason. Practice didn't seem like the most important thing in the world to her now. Even if it did, what good did it do her if the class was too scared to give her their full attention?

"Okay everyone! Have a wonderful day! See you all tomorrow!" Mr. Simmons waved to his students.

Arnold turned in his desk to face his girlfriend and asked "You guys ready for practice?"

Rather than ordering for her best friend to follow, Helga stood to follow her boyfriend. The group slowly made their way down the hall until they were all standing outside the school with one another.

"I'm going home to get my stuff. I'll meet you on the field." Arnold told everyone.

The group all headed separate ways, while Phoebe stood alone a moment, wondering what had gotten into Helga. While she herself may have had a reason to be acting peculiar, she hadn't seen one for Helga to yet.

 _The Boarding House_

Arnold opened the door for the flock of animals to pour past him. After letting them out, the pre-teen entered the building to switch out his school supplies for his baseball gear.

On his way back downstairs, he heard someone in the kitchen. "HE-YAW!"

Arnold stepped in the room a moment to see Pookie chopping watermelon for dinner. "Oh, hey grandma."

Bowing at the meal on the table, Pookie greeted her grandson and said "Ahhh grasshopper. Where are you off to?"

"Baseball practice. Where's grandpa?" the boy wondered, as he ducked for cover when seeing a head of watermelon heading in his direction.

"Slim's in his office. He'll need plenty of room in his stomach for the feast tonight...HE-YAW!"

"Uhh right grandma."

 _Helga's House_

After being too distracted to eat at school, Helga felt it wouldn't hurt to grab herself a snack before practice. There she stood going through all the cabinets in the kitchen, while Miriam was snoring against the counter.

"Earth to Miriam! There's no food around here!"

*SNORE*

Moments of shaking her mother went by until Helga at last scowled "Wake up Miriam!"

The tired lady flickered her eyes and tilted her glasses. She awoke to see an angry girl standing before her, demanding to know where all the food in the house was.

"Huh? Oh sorry hunny. Your dad and sister have been working on the ad, so no one's had time to shop or cook."

Helga cocked her brow at the sorry excuse and leered "Not - Even - You?"

Miriam began to scratch her head, thinking it over a moment. "Well, I uhh…"

The vexed pre-teen didn't feel like waiting around for the sorry excuse however. With that, she grabbed her gear and headed towards the field.

 _Gerald Field_

"Where do you suppose they are?" Lila asked, noticing a few members of the team still hadn't shown up.

"They better be here! I'm not standing here all afternoon when I could be shopping." Rhonda sneered.

"Hey look! Here they come now!" Stinky pointed, seeing Arnold and Helga approaching the field.

The pigtailed girl dropped her gear on the field just as she heard "Nice of you to show up Helga."

The group turned to see Rhonda glare at her classmate, happy to return the harsh remark on her for a change.

Not appreciating the insult, Helga tossed her glove aside and asked "What's that supposed to mean Princess?"

Rhonda stood still with her hands on her hips and sneered "Nothing I suppose. We were just expecting someone as dedicated to winning as you to be more on time."

As Helga was preparing to introduce Rhonda to Ol' Betsy, Arnold stepped in between them to break things up. "Hold on you guys. Let's save it for the game Saturday."

After glaring at her opponent, Helga scowled "Fine! You're on second again Princess, now hop to it!"

Once the two of them were broken up, Arnold began to head for his position at shortstop. Sid (who was already standing in right field) was trembling at the sight of his _friend's_ appearance.

Arnold couldn't help but notice the fearful look on his friend's face and asked "Umm are you okay Sid?"

The anxious boy watched his caring classmate approach nearer and nearer. Before he could get to close, Sid back away and screeched "Me? Oh fine. Just fine Arnold. No problems here."

Arnold then shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what more he could do to get the truth out of Sid.

"Phew!" the nervous boy in cowboy boots wiped his brow, happy to have Arnold away from him. Now he just had to make it through practice without being hit again.

Sheena stepped up to bat, not thrilled about practice. Whether or not it was just a game, no one was looking forward to playing Wolfgang. His presence the past week hadn't exactly had a positive effect on the class' self esteem (not to mention their opinions of each other).

Helga pitched the ball towards her classmate, not expecting to be impressed. Sheena then hit the first pitch in Stinky's direction.

"Aww gee! I done missed it!"

Helga smacked her face at her classmate's inability to catch the ball, while Sheena happily made her way around the bases.

"Nice going dingus!"

Stinky turned to see an unwanted visitor hovering over him. He began backing away as the crowd watched Wolfgang continue to fantasize about victory on Saturday.

"Get ready to lose you pathetic little pip squeaks!"

Helga tossed her glove aside and marched over to their rival. While half the class would have been willing to admit defeat right then and there, she pointed a finger at the arrogant boy and scowled "Listen jerkwad! If you're not here to play then beat it!"

"Fine, I'll go. I've got somewhere to be anyway." Wolfgang laughed, as he turned away from the field.

Helga glared at their opponent, not willing to admit how much work they had cut out for themselves.

 _The Patakis_

Wolfgang looked at the address on the sheet his brother gave him that was still in his pocket. He was soon knocking on the door, ready to get the night over with. As Jordan had said, they didn't get along too well.

Wolfgang stood in front of the door until he saw a drowsy lady answer it.

"Uhh hi."

"Hello...hello...um who are you?" Miriam yawned.

"Is Jordan here?" Wolfgang asked, without caring to explain who he was.

"Umm oh yes, yes. He's... he's right in here." Miriam said as she invited the new boy in.

Jordan turned and waved to his younger brother and said "Hey there little brother. I'll be finished here shortly."

After rolling his eyes at the sight of his older sibling, Wolfgang sighed "Whatever."

 _Walk_

Phoebe was still holding Helga up on her offer to visit her place for a while that evening. After practice, the girls began heading for the Patakis. Phoebe didn't expect anything out of the ordinary, while Helga was anxious to get to the bottom of what she may be hiding.

"So Pheebs. What's eatin' ya?"

"Why whatever do you mean Helga?"

As sensitive as she was, Helga wasn't one to tolerate mind games. If she wanted to know something, she wasn't going to let it drag out. "Oh come off it Phoebe! Stop it!"

"Stop what?"

"I mean football head made it clear something's been on your mind you've been trying to hide from me, now spill it!"

The small Asian girl gulped at the thought of revealing her feelings. While she didn't like upsetting Helga, letting her friend down was something that let _her_ down.

Helga took notice of the sad expression forming on her friend's face and added "You're my best friend. You should be able to tell me anything."

The intelligent girl looked up to smile at her friend who had her arm wrapped around her back. As she wiped a tear from her eye, Phoebe replied "I suppose I allowed my insecurities to get the best of me."

Helga looked up towards the sky, implying she knew a thing or two about that. "Criminy! Well, that's all water under the bridge now. Let's get inside and start plotting victory against those crummy eighth graders."

"Coming Helga!"

 _Helga's House_

The girls opened the door to see Olga and Bob finishing up plans with Jordan for the new ad.

"Hello baby sister! Did you have fun at practice?!" Olga waved eagerly.

While Phoebe waved in response, Helga scoffed with her hands on her hips "Yeah. It was a blast. Come on Pheebs, let's go watch some TV."

"Coming Helga." the small girl chirped as she followed her friend into the living room.

Helga's usual routine would be to grab the remote and put it on Wrestling if Bob wasn't already parked on the couch watching golf. She entered the living room to see the TV was already on the channel she enjoyed with her favorite TV show playing.

The moot girl stood with her arms crossed and leered "Pttss...hey. Who's got a taste for this kind of entertainment?"

Phoebe then tapped her friend on the shoulder and watched her turn to face the malicious boy on the couch.

Helga's eyes widened as she watched Wolfgang stand from his seat. Phoebe gasped in bewilderment as she stood behind her friend "Oh dear!"

After realizing the bit of weakness that had taken over her, Helga shook her head and sneered "Hey! What do you think you're doing here!"

"Nothing. Just thought I'd take a look around while you little freaks finished practicing."

Helga cocked her brow at the response and replied "Take a look around? What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Before he could push the matter further, Wolfgang heard his brother calling "Alright Wolfgang, let's get going!"

The ill-tempered teen rolled his eyes as he began to follow his brother out the door. Phoebe then turned to see the worried look on her friend's face, wondering what he could have stuck his nose into while they were gone.

"What do you suppose he meant by that Helga?"

Hoping not to seem as though she cared, Helga waved her friend off and scoffed "The heck if I know Pheebs."


	4. Chapter 4

**Short Chapter. My work schedule's not consistent, so I can't promise there will be regular updates for this story. Hope you still enjoy it.**

Chapter 4: You Didn't See It

 _Next Afternoon_

 _Patakis' House_

Jordan had once again spent the day with Bob, helping him put together information for what they felt would make a motivational cell phone ad. Jordan couldn't do this without learning a thing or two about cell phones throughout the week however.

"Alright, after getting rid of that idiot associate Vermicelli, I got someone who I didn't have to worry about double crossing me. My new associate gave me the list of all the phones the store is said to include." Bob explained, while passing Jordan the list of inventory.

Apple iPhone XS Max

Google Pixel

Samsung Galaxy Note

Motorola Mota

Apple iPhone 8

After reviewing the list, Jordan looked at his partner and said "My brother has an iPhone. He's always taking pictures with it."

 _Gerald Field_

The group was in their usual positions, trying to prepare for the game on Saturday. With half the team feeling a bit paranoid about their friend's intentions behind it, the outcome wasn't looking so good.

Sid stood in right field, not so concerned about Arnold. Although Wolfgang had gotten inside his head, Arnold hadn't done anything yet to give him a reason to believe there was anything to fear. The week wasn't over yet however.

"Well, well. If it isn't the wussy seventh graders!"

Sid turned to see Wolfgang standing within a few inches of him. The boy ducked for cover as he continued to watch Wolfgang grin viciously at him.

With his hands behind his back, the malicious eighth grader asked "What are you pathetic dweebs up to?"

Helga tossed her glove aside and began marching across the field to throw the rude boy's words back into his face.

"What's it look like we're doing moron? We're preparing to kick your butt on Saturday!"

An unamused look apeared on Wolfgang's face as he playfully waved his hands in defense and said "Oohhh I'm so scared! Although not quite as scared as I was when I saw something at your house yesterday."

Helga cocked her brow in suspicion as she heard the pre-teens begin to whisper behind her. "What in the heck was Wolfgang doing at your house Helga?" Stinky couldn't help but ask.

"I suppose you two could pass for a couple. You do both tend to possess the same aggressive behavior." Rhonda sneered, not knowing what other reason he could have for being there.

Helga immediately began to grit her teeth at the accusation, while Arnold stood on the field puzzled. Helga hadn't spoken a word on their enemy's vitis to her house to him.

"What are they talking about Helga?"

Helga was preparing to head back towards the catcher's plate, and act as though Wolfgang didn't exist until she heard "Would you like me to show him?"

The once again suspicious girl turned back around to face her opponent. Helga cocked her brow with her hands on her hips as she scoffed at Wolfgang "What the heck are you talking about?"

 _Flashback_

The annoyed teen welcomed himself inside the Patakis to see his older brother helping Bob with the new ad. Wolfgang decided as long as he was stuck there, he might as well take a look around.

The nosey teen walked into what turned out to be Helga's room. After seeing her picture on her dresser, a tempting thought came to his mind. Now he knew where he was. All he had to do was use it to his advantage.

The boy began snooping around the room until he found something he felt would be of use to him. Useful in terms of humiliating one of his rivals.

 _End of Flashback_

Helga looked to see the nosey teen showing her pictures he had taken on his iPhone. Pictures of a watermelon and banana figure hidden behind a curtain in her closet.

The blonde girl's eyes widened as far as they could. As she stood frozen, Wolfgang began to laugh hysterically.

While Helga could feel the sweat forming on her face, the gang listened to Wolfgang say "See you tomorrow losers. Eat lots of fruit for the game."

As Helga watched the cruel teen laugh down the street at his own joke, Arnold approached her and asked "What was he showing you?"

Arnold already knew how obsessed she was with him. Helga had come clean about all her secrets and obsessive behavior. That didn't mean she was willing to say it all in front of the entire class however.

The nervous girl quickly whipped her head towards her beloved as she asked "Showing? Me? Nothing. Don't be ridiculous! I have to go."

The gang then watched Helga scurry off the field, unsure of what to think in this situation. Arnold knew how hard it was getting her to open up when she wasn't ready.

Phoebe on the other hand, could not only tell when something was wrong, but was willing to talk it out of her.

 _The Pier_

Although she wasn't quick enough to catch up with her, Phoebe knew her friend well enough to know where she went when she needed time to think about something.

The small Asian girl arrived at the docks to see her friend sitting on the edge of the pier. There Helga was staring at her reflection in the water, wondering what humiliating moment awaited her with those pictures.

As she sat pondering this, she saw a reflection appear beside her own in the water.

"Hello Helga."

After letting out a deep sigh, the blonde girl watched her friend take a seat and said "Hey Pheebs. What's up?"

"You left practice in a bit of a hurry. I sensed something was wrong?"

Helga didn't see what good it would do to keep up the charade; at least not around Phoebe. What she loved most about Phoebe was being able to talk to her about anything without having to fear being judged.

"Well, freakazoid apparently did mean something when he said he was taking a look around yesterday."

Phoebe's eyes widened, knowing nothing good was about to be said. "Oh my! What happened?"

"Well, the big doofus apparently used his free time before we made it there to invade my privacy. His cheap self took pictures of the inside of my closet! I ought to wring his neck!"

Phoebe watched her friend angrily grip the dock, imagining she actually had her hands on the invader of her privacy.

On the one hand, everyone knew she and Arnold were together. On the other, very few knew about the severity of her obsession for him. What would it lead to if those pictures were to fall into the wrong hands?

The caring girl placed a hand on her friend's shoulder and said "Rest assured Helga, I'm here for you."

"Thanks Pheebs. This doesn't look good."

 _The Boarding House_

After practice, Arnold walked in past the pets to see Phil eating a sandwich in the kitchen.

"Hey grandpa."

Phil set aside his food when he saw his grandson enter and said "Hey there shortman! How'd practice go?"

Arnold took a seat at the table, thinking of how to answer that. After Helga left, the group didn't see much of a point in continuing.

"Uhh okay I guess. Something kind of strange happened with Helga."

"Everything that girl does is strange isn't it? She's a regular Pookie!" Phil exclaimed.

After rolling his eyes at the comparison, Arnold went on to explain. "Well, Wolfgang showed up with what looked like some pictures on his iPhone…"

"What the heck's an iPhone?" Phil asked, trying to keep up with the story.

"It's just a new type of cell phone. You can take pictures, go online, and do other cool things with it."

"Ho boy! Back when I was your age, all anyone needed to be happy was a set of jacks and a friend to play it with." Phil laughed, thinking about how much had changed since he was a kid.

"Whatever you say grandpa."

Once the old man was through chuckling at himself, he looked at the bored facial expression his grandson was wearing and said "Well go on shortman. What did those pretty pictures look like?" he winked.

Arnold began to rub his neck, knowing his grandpa would tease him. "Actually, I didn't get to see them."

"What? If I was you I'd hurry up and call her before it turns out to be some other guy in the pictures with her."

The tied boy sighed at the assumption and replied "Grandpa. I don't think there was a guy in the picture with her."

"How the heck would you know? You didn't see it did you?"

After discussing the matter with Phil, Arnold headed upstairs. Part of him wanted to call Helga. An even bigger part of him knew how long it took her to come around when it came to personal matters. Perhaps he should save it for the next day.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Let Her Embarrass You

It was the end of the week, and no one was more excited than Bob. Now that Jordan had all the information he felt he needed to make his ad, he could spend the rest of the day working on it.

 _Helga's House_

"This is gonna be great Miriam! The perfect thing to bring in more customers!" the businessman exclaimed.

The tired lady sat at the counter with her mug of coffee listening to her husband go on about his business. "That's good B, that's good."

 _Walk_

While Bob was feeling things couldn't be more perfect, his daughter was feeling things couldn't be more messed up.

"Don't worry Helga. No one has seen anything yet." Phoebe reminded her overwhelmed friend, who couldn't stop thinking about the pictures that had been taken.

"Criminy Pheebs! He didn't take those stupid things just to humor himself. At some point, they're going to get out. At some point...THUMP!"

The nervous girl fell to the ground in front of the cause of her worries. Sitting there wide eyed, Helga screamed "ARNOLD!"

Arnold began to rise from the ground as he offered his girlfriend a hand up. "Morning Helga."

"I...I mean."

Everytime Helga had something to hide, her negative side came out. For years she was cruel to Arnold to avoid him finding out the truth about her feelings. It didn't matter how close they were now. She couldn't let anyone get wise to what had happened with Wolfgang.

On the other hand, while Arnold was learning (not to mention accepting) this about her, it was hard not questioning if she may be doing it to hide something.

Although he knew the last thing Phil wanted to do was discourage him, he did have a point. How would he know what was in those pictures if he didn't ask?

"I mean watch where you're goi…"

Before the emotionally conflicted girl could finish, Arnold stepped in with a problem of his own. Gerald and Phoebe both revealed stunned looks; not expecting Arnold to put an end to Helga's ranting.

"Actually Helga there's something I need to talk to you about."

Helga's eyes widened; this was new to her as well. She stood there nervously not knowing what to expect, as she listened to Arnold add "Guys, we'll catch up with you at school."

Gerald looked to his favorite girl and didn't hesitate to take her hand. Phoebe blushed as she took it, but didn't hesitate to join him on the walk to P.S.118.

After watching their friends get far enough away, Arnold looked to his girlfriend still standing with fearful eyes. Helga's heart was beating wildly at the idea of what would happen if word got around about her special 'activities.' Just how many people were that creative with their love lives? Not to mention continued to be that way after the relationship had started.

Taking her hand in his, Arnold said "So, you left practice in kind of a hurry yesterday."

Helga rubbed the back of her neck, hoping to think of a legitimate excuse. "Oh well you know, I figured we had gotten in all we could. Pttss...it's not like Klutzilla will ever acquire coordination skills, or Princess will get through a game without finding an outfit to complain about."

The blonde boy smiled at his vexed girl's hopeless attitude towards their team. If they all had problems, he might as well find out what hers was."

"What exactly was Wolfgang showing you yesterday? You know, in those pictures."

Helga could feel the sweat forming on her face. What would it hurt to tell Arnold? He knew everything about her. Aside from Phoebe, he was the last person she had to worry about judging her. She hadn't done anything to hurt him.

On the other hand. This could humiliate him just as much. He may not have made the shrines, but that wouldn't stop people from pointing out he had a girlfriend who was that obsessive.

She had a decision to make. Tell Arnold the truth and risk him not caring about everyone's opinion of them, or keep it a secret and pray he could let it go.

"It was just some stupid pictures of Olllgaa's room. Pttss...guy thought that he could embarrass me by taking pictures of all her stupid things. Jokes on him because everyone already knows about the torturous life I lead having to call her perfect self my relative. Sheesh!" Helga scowled, as she took her hand back and began marching towards the school.

Arnold stood there a moment feeling that could make a bit of sense. Although it didn't explain why she was so hesitant to tell him, he knew she didn't enjoy being around people when anything about Olga was brought up.

 _P.S.118_

Edmund watched his friend walking down the halls passing out stacks of papers to random kids in the school and asked "What are you doing with those pictures Wolfgang?"

An evil smile remained on the eighth grader's face as he neared the end of his stack and replied "If we want to beat those moronic seventh graders, we can't let them think they've got a shot. What better way to destroy they're confidence than by humiliating them."

Edmund looked at the flier in Wolfgang's hand with the printed picture of the watermelon shrine and said "You're a genius Wolfgang!"

"Duh!"

When all but a few fliers were past out, the teenagers looked to see their rivals turning the corner of the hallway.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

While Gerald rolled his eyes at the harsh greeting, Helga had a hard time making eye contact with who she would normally threaten. Arnold looked to see his girlfriend eyeing the floor, rubbing her neck nervously until they heard "Did you ever tell him?"

While Helga quickly turned to face her rival, Arnold didn't find anything threatening about it. As Helga had said, the pictures turned out to be of Olga's room.

"We're not worried about anything Wolfgang. If you're just trying to scare us off, you're wasting your time. Let's go you guys."

Before the gang could move along, Wolfgang handed Arnold one of his remaining fliers and said "Before you go, you may want to take a look at this."

While Helga could feel her heart pounding, Arnold stared at the picture unsure of what to think. Helga had told him about her 'activities' but never actually shown them to him.

Gerald and Phoebe eyed the picture, knowing exactly what it was. After the night spent gathering everyone at the beeper emporium to put together the party for their friend, they had had the pleasure of witnessing a few of them.

"Oh my!" the small Asian girl gasped, looking over at her stunned friend.

Gerald shook his head as they watched their opponent walk away and said "Mm, mm, mmm. Talk about competitive playing."

Helga snatched the picture from her beloved's hand and began marching towards the class. Arnold stood puzzled as he asked Phoebe "What was that about Phoebe?"

The intelligent girl hesitated to explain her friend's dilemma. Looking into her classmate's sad eyes, she replied "I'm afraid Wolfgang may have discovered something quite personal of Helga's that could change everyone's opinion of your relationship with her."

 _Classroom_

"Get a load of this you guys!" Sid exclaimed, while showing the flier to Harold and Stinky.

"What the heck is it Sid?" Stinky asked, not being able to make the comparison between the shrine and their classmate.

"Whatever it is, it's making me hungry!" Harold said, feeling his rumbling stomach.

Helga sat slouching in her desk as she listened to the discussions about the picture in the room. Luckily, nothing had been written about the picture on the paper. All she could do was pray no one got wise to who it was of or had had made it.

The rest of the class then entered the room, and Arnold immediately noticed his tense girlfriend. While he was anxious to ask what was on her mind, he was more curious to know what could be so bad about that picture that was capable of messing up their relationship?

There was no time for questions however. The teacher followed the remainder of his students in, excited to get to work on their next Math assignment. "Good morning class! It's another special day!"

Mr. Simmons took notice of how quiet the class was, but had yet to notice what everyone's eyes were on. Half way through the lecture, the perky teacher turned to see a student raising his hand. "Yes Stinky?"

"Will we be needing this picture for our next assignment?"

A curious look appeared on the teacher's face as he asked "What picture are you referring to?"

Before Stinky could reply, Rhonda butted in "This atrocious picture of a fruit made model. Why someone would choose to use something edible to portray clothes is beyond me!"

Mr. Simmons began approaching the desks, as he listened to Harold give his opinion. "Yeah! It's got a watermelon that looks like half a head. And...and bananas that look like big hair. And he's wearing a blue hat!"

"He kind of looks like Arnold." Sid finished.

Helga sunk as low as she could in the desk, while Phoebe was becoming just as nervous for her friend. Now that the figure had been portrayed, it was only a matter of time who discovered the artist behind it.

"It is you Arnold." Stinky said, looking over at his friend.

No longer having the picture in his hand, Arnold turned around to look at the one on Helga's desk. Eyeing up and down from the picture to his girlfriend, it was beginning to make sense.

 _Shrines, Me, Something embarrassing at her house, It could change everyone's opinion of our relationship_

A frown formed on his face, knowing how embarrassed Helga would be if anyone found out it was her who made them.

The blonde boy looked up at the artist before turning around and said "Yeah. They did a good job, don't you think."

Helga's heart began to flutter, not just at the compliment, but at the idea of her beloved being so understanding (not to mention forgiving) of everyone witnessing her 'unusual' hobby.

"Alright class. Let's get back to Math."

While Helga spent the rest of class leaning forward in her chair, daydreaming about Arnold, the rest of the group was thinking about the game.

Arnold hadn't done anything to hurt them. He was so kind someone even went so far as to make a shrine of him. Now rather than having a reason to fear him, their focus was on who the mastermind behind this artwork was.

 _A Few Hours Later_

Lunch at last came and Helga looked to see nearly everyone in the room walking out with their picture of her artwork. They had all found a new way to satisfy their appetites.

Arnold turned in his seat when he and Helga were the remaining two in the class and said "So, everything you said to me that night really was true."

Helga went from shaking to glaring as she sat up in her seat and scowled "Well doi!"

Arnold reached across the desk for her hand and replied "Phoebe said you're worried everyone will try to break us up if they find out it was you that made it. You know that's up to us Helga."

A somber sigh escaped the worried girl as she stared at her desk and said "Yeah, but that won't stop the losers from mocking us for all eternity. Sheesh!"

The two rose from their desks on their way to the cafeteria as Arnold tried thinking of a way to help Helga feel better. "Well to be fair Helga, you've spent the years making fun of everyone. Even if you were just trying to keep them from finding out how you felt about me, that doesn't mean they deserved it."

"What's your point?"

"My point is, everyone gets made fun of at some point or another. That doesn't stop them from being friends anymore than it would stop us from going out."

Arnold kissed his girlfriend on the cheek as they were approaching the cafeteria. Helga swooned at his sweet words, and once again his willingness to stand beside her, no matter the severity of the situation.

 _Cafeteria_

The two entered the cafeteria to see all the students gathered in the center of the room.

Helga cocked her brow at the commotion, as Arnold turned to ask "I wonder what's going on?"

The couple began heading for the center of the room as they listened to what turned out to be familiar words to both Helga and Arnold…

 _Oh Arnold my love! My sultry pre-teen. Why must I hold you only whilst I dream? Will I be forever enslaved by your spell? Why must I worship you and never ever tell? Arnold, you make my girlhood tremble; my senses all go whacky! Someday I'll tell the world my love, or my names not Helga G. Pataki!_

Arnold and Helga approached the center of the cafeteria to see Wolfgang not only holding, but reading out loud a poetry book he had decided to help himself to after snooping around Helga's room.

While Helga could feel herself trembling mercilessly, the crowd all turned to lay eyes on the mystery author.

"That was your poem Helga?" Sid asked in bewilderment.

"I don't reckon I recall you putting a spell on anyone Arnold. Although that would explain why she's always acting mean for no reason." Stinky said in a perplexed tone.

Wolfgang had gone from manipulating the team into believing their most trustworthy player was dangerous, to shredding the self confidence of the team's captain.

Arnold looked to see his girlfriend in what appeared to be a trance, as the rest of the pre-teens listened to Wolfgang ask "Should I read them another one freak?"

Feeling she was at her lowest point, Helga raced out of the room. Wolfgang grinned widely at the idea of bringing her to her lowest point, while Gerald stood shaking his head "Mm, mm, mmm. I guess there's no need for Pataki to sign her work 'anonymous' anymore."

 _Hallway_

Helga hid behind a row of lockers, baffled about how to handle the situation. As Arnold had said, everyone is made fun of at some point or another. How many people faced humiliation in front of the entire school by having their most intimate thoughts announced however?

The pigtailed girl sat sulking on the floor until she heard a voice hovering over her "Helga?"

Helga opened her eyes to see her perfect classmate standing there to check on her.

Lila watched Helga glare harshly, not enjoying her presence. This didn't stop her from explaining her need to follow her however. "I'm ever so sorry about what happened Helga. We all think it's ever so sweet you love Arnold."

The emotionally troubled girl stood from the floor with her hands on her hips and scoffed "Pttss...yeah? That's not going to stop them from using those sensitive qualities on mine to their advantage. Whenever I threaten someone, all anyone has to do now is bring up what happened back there."

Lila placed a hand on her troubled friend's shoulder and replied "I'm ever so certain no one would do that to you Helga."

While Helga appreciated the support, she had a hard time believing this.

 _Cafeteria_

Once Wolfgang was through causing a scene, everyone separated to their tables. Most of the pre-teens were still looking at the pictures they had received in the hall that morning.

"First a shrine of Arnold, now a book of poems. I can't help but feel the artist behind this statue is also the writer of those poems." Rhonda grinned, while eyeing the picture.

"You really think Helga made this?" Nadine asked.

"Of course I do! We just listened to a book of sensitive written work about her boyfriend. Who else would have a reason to do anything implying how obsessed they are with someone?" Rhonda sneered.

Lunch soon ended and it was time for everyone to gather back into the classroom. Helga could only pray no one would mock her for everything that had happened that day.

 _Classroom_

The students began heading back for the room, while Helga was already in her desk, waiting for the day to end.

The nervous girl hid her face inside her book, not wanting to make eye contact with any of her classmates. None of which were afraid to face the game now.

The only person afraid to show their face was tempted to not show up at the game. Arnold then entered the room to see his girlfriend hiding her face inside her school book. If he said anything to her then, it would just cause a scene. Now that everyone knew how severe her obsessiveness was, they would have to take into consideration how open they were willing to be in public.

While Helga sat nervously eyeing her beloved through the rest of the classes, she heard snickering behind her. After hearing those poems, it wasn't hard for the class to notice where (or who) Helga's attention remained during the day.

The moment the final bell rang, the blonde girl raced out of the room.

"Helga wait!" Arnold called out.

Gerald looked at the way the nervous girl didn't think twice about stopping and said "You may have better luck texting her."

 _Gerald Field_

"Come on let's go! Who's catching?" Harold whined.

The group looked around after making it to the field to see Helga hadn't bothered to show up. A worried look remained on Arnold's face, wondering if he should go search for her.

"I'm afraid we're unable to practice without all the needed positions filled." Phoebe pointed out.

"Ya reckon she'll even be at the game tomorrow?" Stinky wondered, knowing how embarrassed she was at school.

"She better! I didn't sacrifice my shopping time this week just to watch her bail on us." Rhonda sneered.

After seeing what little good practicing would do shorthanded, Arnold sighed and said "Maybe we should just call it quits. We've gotten enough practice in this week."

"Whatever you say Arnold." Gerald shook his head, not expecting to do well at the game the next day.

 _The Boarding House_

The somber boy walked inside past the pets to see his grandpa sitting in the kitchen.

"Hey grandpa."

"Hey there shortman! How'd practice go?"

Arnold propped his head in his hand as he sadly stared at the table and replied "We canceled it once we saw Helga didn't show up."

"Hmm...that's a shame. Did you ever find out who was in that picture with her?" the elderly man winked.

"It was actually a shrine she built of me." Arnold blushed, not knowing what type of response to expect from his grandpa.

"A what now?"

"A figure she made of me out of fruit. Apparently it's a hobby of hers."

Phil chuckled at the description of Helga's interests and said "Hehe you can sure pick 'em can't you shortman!"

"I don't know what to do. She was really embarrassed at school today. Now she's afraid to come to practice. What if she bails on the game?"

"Well my advice, go over there and offer to let her embarrass you somehow. Girls always feel better when they see someone else is getting more negative attention than they are. Yet, they don't mind saying anything bad themselves."

Arnold sat there a moment wondering how that would work out. While he was more than willing to help Helga, what could he do to make himself seem just as obsessive as her?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Let's Make A Deal

The next morning Arnold was sitting in the kitchen going through his photo album when Phil walked in the room.

"Morning shortman! Whatcha got there?"

"Hey grandpa. I was thinking about what you said, and thought maybe I could find something to show everyone that would make Helga feel better about herself."

The elderly man took a seat beside his grandson watching him flip through the photos. "Well ya got quite a selection! There's that goofy sweet team you were on. You in your Bruce Lee ninja outfit. Something tells me Pookie was just looking for an extra set of hands to make her watermelon dinners with. Ooohh here's a good one!"

Arnold looked up to see his grandpa chuckling at the photo of him in his bunny pajamas. Yes, it was guaranteed to get a few laughs from everyone (just as it had before). Would embarrassing himself stop Wolfgang from continuing to walk all over Helga however?

 _Helga's House_

"I've written your entry. If you want a decent amount of customers attracted right away, we'll need an amusing picture to clip to the ad. One that will grab everyone's attention."

As Bob was listening to Jordan fill him in on the remaining information needed, the two heard a knock at the door.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"For crying out loud! Who could that be?" Bob stood to answer the door, not thrilled about the idea of having his work interrupted.

The businessman answered to see his daughter's classmate waiting outside. "Who are you?"

"Hi Mr. Pataki. I was wondering if Jordan was here?"

"Yeah, what's it to ya?" Bob snarled, not looking to have his business interrupted.

Arnold stepped back a bit, hoping not to upset the businessman. "I was just wondering if I could ask him a question?"

After rolling his eyes at the request, Bob sighed "Fine, but be quick would ya? I haven't got all day!"

While Bob headed for the kitchen to grab himself a Yahoo from the fridged, Arnold raced into the dining room to see Jordan sitting with his new ad.

"Hey Jordan."

The writer looked over to see his brother's school acquaintance and replied "Oh hey Arnold. How are you?"

"Fine. I was just wondering if you have any pictures of Wolfgang?"

Jordan lifted an eyebrow, finding it to be an odd request. "Well yeah, he is my brother. I haven't taken any recently though. Most of the ones I have of him are from two or three years ago, before he started acting annoyed with me."

Arnold looked to see Jordan flipping through the saved pictures he had of his brother on his phone. In a way, they reminded him of Helga. The teen had the same pessimistic facial expression in every picture. All except one that is…

Jordan looked to see Arnold's eyes widen at the last picture saved on his phone. A warm smile came to his face as he explained "That's my favorite picture of my brother. It's not easy to get him to smile, but when he's happy, there's no stopping him."

An almost evil thought came to Arnold's mind as he asked "Would you mind sending it to me?"

Being the credulous person that he was, Jordan didn't hesitate to agree to Arnold's request.

 _Gerald Field_

While a few of the students were busy with their own activities, most of the team was spending the beginning of the day getting as much practice in as possible.

"Ya reckon we got a fair shot at winning?" Stinky wondered, taking into account they hadn't heard from Helga and Arnold wasn't at practice.

"If not, it's back to playing in the street for us." Sid reminded the gang.

"This is highly absurd. I did not spend that Saturday afternoon cleaning this area just to watch those horrendous teenagers steal it right out from under us!" Rhonda sneered.

 _Copy Stop_

Gerald was walking towards the field to meet with the gang for practice when he noticed someone inside the copy store. The tranquil boy stopped inside to see what was going on.

"Hey Arnold!"

The blonde boy turned away from the copy machine to see his best friend standing behind him. "Oh hey Gerald."

"Hey man. What's going on?"

Arnold wasn't the vindictive type, therefore a part of him didn't feel right explaining this. On the other hand, he was standing up for his girlfriend's dignity and the class' sport space.

The oblong headed boy then held up the picture Jordan had sent him, along with the written entry Arnold had also asked for a copy for.

Gerald's eyes widened in disbelief when he witnessed the image in front of him. "Arnold! Where'd you get that?"

"Wolfgang's brother is working with Helga's dad on a new ad for the store."

"And this helps us how?" Gerald shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what Bob Pataki's business had to do with their baseball game.

 _Helga's House_

The pigtailed girl sat on her bed, contemplating what would happen if she showed up at the game. If she went, she would be made fun of by Wolfgang and all her classmates. If she didn't show up, the class was likely to lose the game along with their after school spot.

She had been embarrassed before. The whole point of her tough attitude was to not allow anyone to know when something _did_ embarrass her.

When Olga taught their fourth grade class

When her nanny made her dress up for school

Whenever her dad did something to upset the city

 _Walk_

"Those pre-teens are going down!" Wolfgang laughed as he and Edmund headed towards the field.

"Hehe yeah! We'll show them who's boss."

"Shut up you idiot."

 _Gerald Field_

The gang stood watching the eighth graders anxiously approach the field. Arnold, Gerald, and Helga were all still missing, not sending much hope to their class.

"I reckon this is it y'all." Stinky sighed.

"Yeah. We should just forfeit now." Sid agreed, not having the slightest bit of faith things would turn out well.

"Hey seventh graders! Where's your wussy captain?" Wolfgang shouted, as his team began taking their places on the field.

The seventh graders watched themselves becoming outnumbered by the team that was sure to claim the field as their own.

Before anyone could respond, the gang heard "Who are you calling wussy, dingus?!"

The crowd turned to see Helga marching towards the field with a familiar scowl on her face. She marched up to Wolfgang with her hands on her hips, attempting to refrain from showing any form of weakness.

"Well, well. You decided to show up after all." the malicious teenager grinned.

"Well doi! Now are you here to play or what? I didn't come out here just to waste my Saturday listening to you talk." Helga pointed a finger.

Crossing his arms, feeling unthreatened, Wolfgang asked "Where's football face then?"

Before anyone had time to think, the field heard "Hey you guys."

Everyone turned to see Arnold and Gerald approaching with a stack of papers. No one seemed curiuos to know what was in Arnold's hands. They were just anxiuos to know how the game would end.

Wolfgang watched the blonde boy approach him and said "I'm shocked your girl here decided to show her face after what happened yesterday. I figured that picture would be enough to run her out of town."

While Helga blushed profusely, rubbing her arm harshly, Arnold began to smile. "Funny you should mention the picture."

A glare formed on Wolfgang's face as he crossed his arms and asked "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your brother finally finished the ad for Mr. Pataki's store. The only thing missing is a picture. I asked for a copy of the ad and printed several copies with a picture on it."

Wolfgang snatched the ad from Arnold to see a picture of himself in bunny pajamas. The eighth grader's face froze, not knowing what to do in this situation.

Arnold and Gerald smiled at each other, knowing they had their enemy right where they wanted him.

"Now, I've got three hundred copies here. More than enough to either pass out at school Monday, or give to Mr. Pataki for his store. After all, Jordan said the best way to earn customers is with something that will grab their attention."

Edmund leaned over his friend's shoulder, staring at the picture and said "Wow! You sure look goofy Wolfgang! Haha!"

"Shut up you loser!"

After seeing the petrifying state the teenager had been put in, the devious smile remained on Arnold's face as he said "All you have to do is stop trying to take the field, and I'll get rid of them. If you threaten us again, they're getting passed out."

The angry eighth grader stormed off the field, unhappy not only about the picture being shown, but also about basically meeting the demands of a younger student.

After the eighth graders were gone, Gerald held out his fist and said "Way to go man!"

The class came over to look at the fliers the boys were holding. Sid read the business ad below the picture of Wolfgang in his bunny pajamas and asked "Is Big Bob really going to use that picture in his flier?"

Arnold glanced to see the annoyed facial expression his girlfriend was carrying and replied "No Sid. We'll find him another one. In fact, why don't we all go take a picture in front of the store together?"

Arnold looked towards his girlfriend for her approval, assuming she'd be okay with it.

Shrugging her shoulders, Helga scoffed "Fine, but ten percent of his profit that comes the customers attracted by this flier is going to me."

"Whatever you say Helga."

 _ **THE END**_

 _ **THANKS FOR READING**_

 _ **PLEASE REVIEW!**_


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